Friday's Film Adaption: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Summary:
When Elizabeth Bennet first meets eligible bachelor Fitzwilliam Darcy, she thinks him arrogant and conceited; he is indifferent to her good looks and lively mind. When she later discovers that Darcy has involved himself in the troubled relationship between his friend Bingley and her beloved sister Jane, she is determined to dislike him more than ever. In the sparkling comedy of manners that follows, Jane Austen shows the folly of judging by first impressions and superbly evokes the friendships, gossip and snobberies of provincial middle-class life.

Films
1940
Jane Austen's comic classic about five sisters out to nab husbands in 19th-century England.
Release Date: July 26, 1940
Release Time: 117 minutes

Cast:
Greer Garson as Elizabeth Bennet
Laurence Olivier as Fitzwilliam Darcy
Mary Boland as Mrs. Bennet
Edna May Oliver as Lady Catherine de Bourgh
Maureen O'Sullivan as Jane Bennet
Ann Rutherford as Lydia Bennet
Frieda Inescort as Caroline Bingley
Edmund Gwenn as Mr. Bennet
Karen Morley as Charlotte Lucas Collins
Heather Angel as Kitty Bennet
Marsha Hunt as Mary Bennet
Melville Cooper as Mr. Collins
Edward Ashley Cooper as George Wickham
Bruce Lester as Mr. Bingley
E.E. Clive as Sir Willam Lucas
Majorie Wood as Lady Lucas
Vernon Downing as Captain Carter

Awards:
1940 Academy Awards
Best Black and White Art Direction - Cedric Gibbons, Paul Groesse - Won

1995

Jane Austen's classic novel about the prejudice that occurred between the 19th century classes and the pride which would keep lovers apart.

Release Date: September 24, 1995 – October 29, 1995

Release Time: 327 minutes (6 parts)

Cast:

Jennifer Ehle - Elizabeth Bennet 

Colin Firth - Mr Darcy 

Susannah Harker - Jane Bennet 

Julia Sawalha - Lydia Bennet 

Alison Steadman - Mrs Bennet 

Benjamin Whitrow - Mr Bennet

Crispin Bonham-Carter - Mr Bingley 

Polly Maberly - Kitty Bennet 

Lucy Briers - Mary Bennet 

Anna Chancellor - Miss Bingley 

Lucy Robinson - Mrs Hurst 

Adrian Lukis - Wickham 

David Bamber - Mr Collins 

Lucy Scott - Charlotte Lucas 

Lucy Davis - Maria Lucas 

Emilia Fox - Georgiana Darcy

Marlene Sidaway - Hill 

Barbara Leigh-Hunt - Lady Catherine De Bourgh

Tim Wylton - Mr Gardiner 

Rupert Vansittart - Mr Hurst

Joanna David - Mrs Gardiner

Nadia Chambers - Miss Anne De Bourgh 

David Bark-Jones - Lt. Denny

Lynn Farleigh - Mrs Phillips 

Christopher Benjamin - Sir William Lucas 

Roger Barclay - Capt. Carter 

Kate O'Malley - Sarah

Norma Streader - Lady Lucas

Paul Moriarty - Col. Forster

Victoria Hamilton - Mrs Forster

Anthony Calf - Col. Fitzwilliam

Sarah Legg - Hannah

Annabel Taylor - Maggie

Harriet Eastcott - Mrs Jenkinson

Awards:

1996 BAFTAS

Best Actor - Colin Firth - Nominated

Best Actor - Benjamin Whitrow - Nominated

Best Actress - Jennifer Ehle - Won

Best Drama Serial - Nominated

2005

In class-conscious England near the close of the 18th century, the five Bennet sisters--Elizabeth, or Lizzie, Jane, Lydia, Mary, and Kitty--have been raised well aware of their mother's fixation on finding them husbands and securing set futures. The spirited and intelligent Elizabeth, however, strives to live her life with a broader perspective, as encouraged by her doting father.

Release Date: September 16, 2005

Release Time: 127 minutes

Cast:

Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet

Matthew Macfadyen as Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy

Brenda Blethyn as Mrs Bennet

Donald Sutherland as Mr Bennet

Tom Hollander as Mr William Collins

Rosamund Pike as Jane Bennet

Carey Mulligan as Catherine (Kitty) Bennet

Jena Malone as Lydia Bennet

Talulah Riley as Mary Bennet

Judi Dench as Lady Catherine de Bourgh

Simon Woods as Mr Charles Bingley

Tamzin Merchant as Georgiana Darcy

Claudie Blakley as Charlotte Lucas

Kelly Reilly as Caroline Bingley

Rupert Friend as Mr George Wickham

Rosamund Stephen as Anne de Bourgh

Cornelius Booth as Colonel Fitzwilliam

Penelope Wilton as Mrs Gardiner

Peter Wight as Mr. Gardiner

Meg Wynn Owen as Mrs Reynolds

Sinead Matthews as Betsy

Awards:

Academy Awards

Best Actress - Keira Knightley - Nominated

Best Original Score - Dario Marianelli - Nominated

Best Art Direction - Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer - Nominated

Best Costume Design - Jacqueline Durran - Nominated

BAFTAS

Best Film - Nominated

Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Brenda Blethyn - Nominated

Most Promising Newcomer - Joe Wright - Won

Best Adapted Screenplay - Deborah Moggach - Nominated

Best Costume Design - Jacqueline Durran - Nominated

Best Makeup & Hair - Fae Hammond - Nominated

Golden Globes

Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy - Keira Knightley - Nominated

Best Film – Musical or Comedy - Nominated

1940

1995

2005

Author Bio:
Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.

Austen lived her entire life as part of a close-knit family located on the lower fringes of the English landed gentry. She was educated primarily by her father and older brothers as well as through her own reading. The steadfast support of her family was critical to her development as a professional writer. Her artistic apprenticeship lasted from her teenage years until she was about 35 years old. During this period, she experimented with various literary forms, including the epistolary novel which she tried then abandoned, and wrote and extensively revised three major novels and began a fourth. From 1811 until 1816, with the release of Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814) and Emma (1815), she achieved success as a published writer. She wrote two additional novels, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, both published posthumously in 1818, and began a third, which was eventually titled Sanditon, but died before completing it.

Austen's works critique the novels of sensibility of the second half of the 18th century and are part of the transition to 19th-century realism. Her plots, though fundamentally comic, highlight the dependence of women on marriage to secure social standing and economic security. Her work brought her little personal fame and only a few positive reviews during her lifetime, but the publication in 1869 of her nephew's A Memoir of Jane Austen introduced her to a wider public, and by the 1940s she had become widely accepted in academia as a great English writer. The second half of the 20th century saw a proliferation of Austen scholarship and the emergence of a Janeite fan culture.

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Films

1940

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ALL MOVIE  /  AFI  /  WIKI  /  IMDB  /  TCM

1995

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ALL MOVIE  /  BBC  /  WIKI  /  IMDB  /  TCM

2005

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1940

1995

2005

Author Spotlight: Melissa Foster

Author Bio:
Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes contemporary romance, new adult, contemporary women’s fiction, suspense, and historical fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Her books have been recommended by USA Today’s book blog, Hagerstown Magazine, The Patriot, and several other print venues. She is the founder of the World Literary Café and Fostering Success. When she’s not writing, Melissa helps authors navigate the publishing industry through her author training programs on Fostering Success. Melissa has been published in Calgary’s Child Magazine, the Huffington Post, and Women Business Owners magazine. Melissa hosts an Aspiring Authors contest for children and has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Melissa lives in Maryland with her family. Visit Melissa on social media. Melissa enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups, and welcomes an invitation to your event.

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I'm so excited to welcome all of these fab authors to the Remington Kindle World--and to welcome back the five who have previously written in the World! Readers who love the Remington world I've created are now able to read many more stories with new, fun, characters, set in that world. I hope you love these new, exciting stories!  ~ Melissa

What is the Remington Kindle World?

Authors are given permission to write their own story in my Remington series “world.” They can use my setting, my characters, and my Remington “world” to write their own story. Fans can bring new characters into the world, and write about existing characters. There are all kinds of exciting ways for these worlds to grow, and we're having so much fun bringing these stories to fans!

Will the characters appear in the real Remington series or change the Remington’s current story lines?

No. The stories written in the Kindle World do not change the original Remington stories, characters, or world. Even if an author writes a story that changes the original characters in that particular fan fiction story, that only affects their Kindle World story, and not the original characters or series. Characters written into Remington Kindle World will remain in the fan fiction world (kind of like "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas").

Claimed by Love(The Ryders #2)
Summary:
The RYDERS are the newest addition to the Love in Bloom romance series. Each book may be read as a stand-alone novel, or as part of the series.

IN CLAIMED BY LOVE...
Family law attorney Gabriella Liakos has one true love, Elpitha Island, where she grew up and hopes someday to return. But Elpitha is in financial ruins, and Gabriella will do anything to keep it from falling into the wrong hands.

Duke Ryder is a savvy real estate investor set on making Elpitha into an exclusive resort. Unlike other investors, he's not scared of purchasing a property where one family has roots so deep they practically reach the ocean floor...until he meets his beautiful, stubborn, and enticing tour host―the daughter of the owner of most of the island.

Gabriella sets out to dissuade Duke from purchasing Elpitha, but Duke has other ideas. He wants Gabriella and the island. Duke's powerful seduction draws Gabriella in, but can a savvy investor who's used to glamour and glitz, and a woman interested in preserving the culture she adores find a happily ever after together?

Claimed by Love(Pre-Order: March 23, 2016)

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Kindle Worlds

Click Here to Check Out the Books of Part 1

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Weave a Murderous Web by Anne Rothman-Hicks & Ken Hicks

Title: Weave a Murderous Web

Authors: Anne Rothman- Hicks & Ken Hicks

Genre: Mystery

Release Date: March 8, 2016

Publisher: Melange Books

Summary:
No good deed goes unpunished. Mark Samuels, a somewhat seedy matrimonial lawyer, is dead from an overdose of suspiciously pure cocaine. Jane Larson, a hotshot litigator for a large law firm in New York City, is sucked into the world of divorce and child support when her friend Francine asks her to help out one of Mark’s clients.

Jane quickly learns that the case is a complete loser and that her new client, Gail, is a demanding and unscrupulous prima donna. However, through some skillful legal work and a tip-off from a mysterious informant, Jane uncovers a safe deposit box where the deadbeat husband has been hiding a large chunk of cash.

She also attracts the attention of a fellow lawyer (Bryan) who is handsome and successful and an excellent protector from the threats to her life that suddenly start popping up with alarming frequency, along with murders of people related to the case—among them the deadbeat dad and an undercover cop.

It soon becomes apparent that Jane's discovery of the cash has only started to unravel a web of lies, drugs, and criminal activity. Ultimately, she is involved in a race to recover a suitcase of money that Jane hopes will help police catch the murderer before she becomes the next victim.

The judge mounted the steps to the bench and sat down quickly as though he had been attending to some urgent business, but couldn’t wait to get out here and sweat with the rest of us. He said hello to the assemblage, received back a muffled chorus of “Good afternoon, Your Honor,” made a joke that nobody heard and everyone laughed at, and shuffled some papers.

He was ready to embark on the business of the day when his face suddenly turned sour and his forehead flushed. He pointed one long bony finger toward the rear.

“Get them out of my courtroom,” he ordered.

One hundred and thirty lawyers’ gazes, including mine, followed his outstretched arm, although my colleagues did not gasp in horror the way I did. Many, no doubt, enjoyed it. There was Gail again, with Courtney in tow, turning this way and that to squeeze through the courtroom door in those cardboard barrel costumes.

The court officer started briskly across the room, unable not to smile at the prospect of confronting my client, whose body strained against the spandex with a fit that was wonderful to behold, especially after she had climbed the stairs and perspiration had made select parts of her costume particularly clingy.

It occurred to me I had not yet entered a formal appearance for this woman and could simply melt into the crowd and make an unobtrusive exit. Ridge would have definitely appreciated the move. Lord knows I would have saved myself an astounding amount of trouble. Even Martha would agree with me on that.

However, having told Francine I was ‘in,’ I would sooner have faced a squad of pit bulls than informed her I was out. So, like a well-trained policeman who runs toward the sound of gunfire, I hopped to my feet and hurried toward the judge.

“May I be heard, Your Honor,” I shouted above the din.

Author Bio:

Anne Rothman-Hicks and Kenneth Hicks first started writing books together while Anne was a student at Bryn Mawr College and Ken was a student at Haverford College— a long time ago, when, as their children like to say, dinosaurs roamed the earth.

In 1973, they came to New York City while Ken attended law school at Columbia University and Anne worked as an editor in publishing. They have lived here ever since and do not intend to leave voluntarily.

They wrote their first novel together in 1976, hoping that it would be a success and Ken would not have to even start working as a lawyer. Alas, that book is still in on the upper shelf of their closet, but they kept at the writing business. In 1984, they published Theft of the Shroud, a novel, through Banbury books, distributed by Putnam. That same year they also published a series of 10 books based on the most popular names for boys and girls, as well as a book about the stars for children. Following these successes, Ken quit law for two years as he and Anne devoted themselves fulltime to writing and their children. However, children need to eat and be clothed and go to school, and these things all cost money, so Ken resumed the practice of law. Still, they continued to write, and rewrite, and rewrite some more.

Prior to the publication of Weave A Murderous Web, Ken and Anne wrote Praise Her, Praise Diana, (Adult thriller) Melange Books LLC, 2014, Kate and the Kid, (Adult mainstream) Wings ePress 2013, and Things Are Not What They Seem (Tween fantasy) MuseItUp Publishing 2014. Anne and Ken have also self-published two small-format photography books, which are available on the Apple iBookstore – Hearts (no flowers) Signs of Love in the Gritty City and Picture Stones.

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